Monday, January 4, 2010

Legarda slams black propaganda

The Nationalist People’s Coalition has denounced the black propaganda being waged against Senator Loren Legarda, its candidate for vice president, as “unwarranted, blatantly false and scurrilous.”

Text messages being circulated by anonymous sources claim that Legarda had filed a bill seeking to reduce the salaries of public school teachers and military personnel, according to Valenzuela City Rep. Rex Gatchalian, NPC spokesman.

“Nothing could be farther from the truth,” Gatchalian said. “On the contrary, Legarda had filed a bill precisely seeking to increase the salaries and upgrade the positions of teachers and she also co-authored a resolution seeking the same for uniformed military personnel and civilian employees of the Department of National Defense.”

He also disclosed that Legarda was also one of the authors and co-signors of Senate Resolution 26, entitled “Joint Resolution authorizing the President of the Philippines to modify the position classification system of civilian personnel and the base pay schedule of the military and uniformed personnel in the government, and to implement the same initially effective July 1, 2009, and for other purposes.”

“This is on the record and is known to everybody who has followed up Loren’s activities in the Senate,” said Gatchalian. “Apparently those who are disseminating this manifestly false information are desperate that Senator Legarda is bound to win the vice presidential race. This disinformation is a disservice to our electorate who deserve to be told the truth.”

Gatchalian said in budget deliberations, Legarda had always moved for the increase in salaries and benefits of government employees, especially teachers and health workers, as well as military personnel, in order to elevate their living standards in view of the continuing rise in cost of living expenses.

Gatchalian pointed out that Legarda had special concern for members of the military, having herself obtained a degree in National Security Administration from the National Defense College of the Philippines, graduating at the top of her class. She is now a reserve officer in the Armed Forces, with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

“Senator Legarda has always demonstrated her compassion and concern for the rank-and-file employees of government, including civilian, military and police, teachers and health workers, because she believes that they are usually overworked and underpaid, considering the continuing rise in the cost of living,” said Gatchalian.

“In her two terms in the Senate, Loren has filed bills and supported legislation that would improve the economic security and future of our public servants, and ensure for them a decent standard of living,” Gatchalian added. “She also supported and pushed for larger appropriations in the budget for increase of salaries and benefits for government employees and officials.”